Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern: Collection 5, Part 2

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All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle only eats grilled cheese sandwiches.

The Charge

Bring a strong stomach or a barf bag.

The Case

Culinary daredevil Andrew Zimmern takes on the (edible) world as he flies
across the globe to find the strangest, most awesomely weird foods ever eaten by
mankind. In Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: Collection 5, Part 2, he
samples all kinds of odd delicacies, including water buffalo, piranha, and
everything in between. Along the way Zimmern makes new friends, discovers new
and different ways to cook old favorites, and realizes that what is bizarre to
one culture is par for the course in another.

The intrepid host travels across the globe to try things most of wouldn't
put in our trash can. From Indonesia to Morocco, New York to Montreal, Zimmern
gulps down the worst of the worst (which sometimes ends up being pretty good, in
his opinion). The Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern is
sort of like Fear Factor without the competition. Andrew
Zimmern—looking like the much more agreeable cousin of King Kong
Bundy—is the perfect host for this kind of show. He's got a gregarious
personality and the desire to eat anything that's put in front of him. In other
words, Zimmern is a brave, brave soul.

Each episode finds Zimmern meeting up with locals and popping things down
his gullet. There isn't much more to the show than that. I was sufficiently
disgusted by some of things he had to eat, including a lamprey eel (the
sucker-like mouth had the consistency of a rubber band) and a bowl of freshly
prepared snake blood. Speaking of blood, Norway's schools still serve kids blood
pudding and brownies made with animal blood. Keep that in mind next time you
remember how bad your high school's cafeteria pizza was.

I'd come across Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern a few times on
television and each time I was enthralled with all the horrible things the host
attempted to digest. What I like about the show is that it's not just about the
gross out factor; the writers, producers and Zimmern are all interested in
sharing with viewers the history of various cultures and countries. Yes, Zimmern
does swallow a lot of things that look wholly unappetizing (spiders, snakes and
underdeveloped chicken fetuses are par for the course). Yet these 'bizarre
entrees' are not without cultural or historical context; explanations are given
for why a culture eats specific foods. This is a great show for parents to watch
with their kids because A.) the kids will learn how other people live and eat
and B.) they will realize that having to eat spinach or lima beans could be
oh-so-much worse.

I'm not sure how much repeat value a show like this has. It's definitely an
interesting series for the freak show lover in all of us; it's sort of like that
kid who would sit at the school lunch table and put anything you gave him on his
sandwich, then bite down. Except instead of cookies, potato chips and carrots
it's sheep eyes and yak intestines. If that sounds like a fascinating evening
in, then Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern might just be your cup of owl
intestines.

Each episode is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The show looks
good considering it often feels shot on the fly; the colors are vibrant and the
black levels sufficient. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 in
English and is sufficient—it's an almost completely front heavy sound mix
without much dynamic range (not that it needed it). No alternate soundtracks or
subtitles are available.

The extra features are basically four bonus episodes ("Alaska,"
"Trinidad and Tobago," "Taiwan," and "Vietnam")
that were never aired on broadcast TV.

The Verdict

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: Collection 5, Part 2 is a fun set
that's both gross and educational. In other words, nine year old boys who love
toads and boogers will rejoice.

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